Sekaten

Some times ago, Yogyakarta just finished celebrating its festival which is usually called as Sekaten. It gave me idea to share the information about it to more introduce my hometown's cultures :) Pictures are not owned by me. Hope this post could give you some information about it :)

Sekaten is long week of Javanese (Yogyakarta, Indonesia) traditional ceremony which is started with pasar malam (night market), fair, festival and ended by the main event which is usually called as Grebeg Muludan. The name of Sekaten actually coming from Arabic words Syahadatain. This event celebrated annually and in order to commemorating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad SAW that usually called as Maulid Nabi. This event started on 5th day of Rabiul Awal (Islamic Calendar) and took place in Alun-Alun Utara Yogyakarta whereas the Keraton is placed. It were initiated by Sultan Hamengkubuwono I (the founder of Keraton Yogyakarta) to invite Yogyakarta people to promote in Islamic faith.

As I mentioned before, this event started with night market, fair, and festival. That night market usually starting in the beginning around 3 weeks before the opening of ceremony. During that time, people around Yogyakarta could coming to that event and enjoy the fair or night market. There you can find some of playgrounds such as Kora-Kora, Rumah hantu, bianglala, and others. If you coming there with your little brothers or sisters you can also buy them some traditional toys, or maybe buy also some traditional foods and snacks that you can easily find there such as pecel, sate, kerak telor, bolang baling, cakwe, and others. You can spend time there with your friends by playing in the playground or just taking some pictures. 

In the opening ceremony,

Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival)

Some of you who really like to read Manga might be know about this Japanese Festival. It sometimes mentioned in Conan Meitantei Manga. It is just one of Japanese Festivals which have been impressed me. That's why tonight I want to make post about this Festival :) References for this post is coming from Wikipedia and a book with tittle Mengerti Bahasa dan Budaya Jepang which is wrote by Takayuki Inohana and Edizal, then for pictures are taken from Google.

Seven-tiered Hina doll set

Hinamatsuri is usually called as Doll Festival Hinamatsun or Girls' Day. It usually held on 3rd March. In order to celebrate this festival, usually the Japanese girls displaying a set of ornamental dolls whereas the Platforms is covered with a red carpet. That dolls represent the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian Period. The custom of displaying these dolls began during the Heian period. Formerly people believed that the dolls possessed by the power to contain the bad spirits. Families generally start to display the dolls in February and take them down immediately after the festival, that is because there superstition that says leaving the dolls past March 4 will result in a late marriage for the daughter. Hinamatsuri traces origins to